If you need hospital treatment for an ongoing condition, such as congestive heart failure or diabetes, but don’t need emergency care, call your doctor. You can work with your doctor to be admitted to the hospital directly, thereby avoiding the long wait in the ER and potentially saving time and money.

As obvious as it may sound, the ER is designed for emergencies. Every patient is evaluated and cared for in the order of urgency and severity. If your ongoing problem isn’t life threatening, you could be waiting a long time for attention.

If you have a doctor who regularly sees you for your healthcare needs, it’s much better to have that doctor determine what you need and when you should be hospitalized because they know your medical history.

The way to avoid wasting time in the emergency room is to talk to your doctor ahead of time.

Ask your doctor:

1. What hospital does your doctor use?
2. Does that hospital have a direct admit policy?
3. If your doctor thinks you should be in the hospital, will he or she write an order to have you directly admitted to a room?
4. What days of the week and times of day does the hospital accept direct admissions?

Having this discussion with your doctor in advance will save you the time and expense of having to sit in the emergency room for hours waiting to be admitted to the hospital.

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Confused about health insurance? Get my new book Choose Your Best Health Insurance for detailed assistance on how to decide which insurance plan is right for you and your family.

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Confused about health insurance? Get my new book Choose Your Best Health Insurance for detailed assistance on how to decide which insurance plan is right for you and your family.

The post What You Need to Know Before Going to the Hospital appeared first on MyHealthSpin.

Just what is a Do Not Resuscitate, or DNR, order? A DNR expresses, in a legal format, your wishes not to have lifesaving measures performed should the need arise. This document provides clear direction for your hospital, assisted living facility or nursing home.

Upon admittance to a health facility, you may be asked about your wishes should an event arise where you are unable to answer in the moment. For example, if you stop breathing, have a heart issue, a stroke or any other condition that may put you in a position for life-saving measures, do you want the hospital to do everything possible to keep you alive?

There is no right answer. You may decide you want life-saving measures, or you may decide you don’t want them. When my parents were nearing the end of their lives, they made the decision that they had lived full lives and if they were to stop breathing, they wanted to be left to die. The point is that you should make this decision at a time when you are able to avoid the decision being made for you.

Although DNR is a common term, you may hear some hospitals refer to this as “no code,” which means they won’t call for help to revive you if you stop breathing or are unconscious. The hospital may also refer to “allowing a natural death,” which means the same thing.

If you haven’t already, discuss your Do Not Resuscitate wishes with your doctor, hospital or healthcare facility. They will let you know how to proceed with the proper paperwork.

Source: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/do-not-resuscitate-dnr-tattoo-leaves-doctors-debating-whether-to-save-his-life/

Do you want to learn more about navigating the health care system? Pick up my book Your Hospital Stay in which you can learn about the other documents you should have in place.

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Unfortunately, you can’t assume that the physician who is caring for you is in your network. If you’ve ever spent an extended amount of time in the hospital, you know that many different doctors pop in and out of your room all day long. So it’s up to you to ask if they take your insurance; if not, be prepared to pay.

States such as California are making sure patients no longer get bills from out-of-network doctors. As of last month patients will be able to rest easy knowing that if their insurance is in network with the hospital they are in, they will not be treated by any out-of-network doctors. This law is designed to help the patient. So many people are getting hit with out-of-network doctors’ bills, and with the price of insurance already being extremely high, it’s important that we do everything we can to keep costs down.

What do you think about this law? Have you ever had this happen to you? Do they do this in in your state?

To learn more about choosing your insurance pick up my workbook Easy Healthcare: Choose your insurance.

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If you haven’t seen the clip, click here to watch.

Unfortunately, several hours after the birth of his baby, Jimmy and his wife Molly learned that Billy had a heart defect and needed surgery to save his life.

Jimmy thanked Cedars-Sinai Hospital and Children’s Hospital Los Angeles for providing Billy with amazing care. Because of the attentive staff and great care, his newborn son is home and doing well.

Jimmy’s message was extremely important and shows how far we have come in healthcare, and how far we have to go.

Friends, family, and readers have asked me some questions about what Jimmy had to say. Here’s my take:

Jimmy spoke about “pre-existing conditions.”

Question: What are pre-existing conditions and how do they affect healthcare coverage?

Answer: Pre-existing conditions are health problems that occur prior to the date new health coverage starts.

Jimmy is correct that prior to the passage of the Affordable Care Act (“ACA”), pre-existing conditions, such as birth defects, could prevent someone like baby Billy from getting coverage. They also enabled insurance companies to charge individuals more. The ACA now prevents health insurance companies from refusing coverage or charging more for pre-existing conditions.

Question: What is the National Institutes of Health (“NIH”)?

Answer: NIH is part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and is the nation’s medical research agency. Jimmy is correct that, despite initial plans to cut the budget for NIH, Congress increased its funding by $2 billion.

As a mother of two and a parent of a daughter born with a serious disease, I was touched by Jimmy’s message. It’s important to stay in the know about healthcare and healthcare policies, in case you or a loved one is impacted.

Congratulations to Jimmy Kimmel and his family on their baby boy!

To learn more about health care for your family, check out the Women’s Mind Body Wellness Summit. It contains 6 interviews by top female health professionals plus two workout videos and 3 bonus videos on mind-body wellness with MyHealthSpin founder Lori-Ann Rickard.

The post Jimmy Kimmel’s Healthcare Scare: What You Should Know appeared first on MyHealthSpin.

In this short video, I talk about what to consider if you are unsure of whether or not you need an emergency room. Watch it now—before an emergency arises—so you’ll be prepared if something does happen.

Have you downloaded the MyHealthSpin toolkit yet? It’s filled with helpful ebooks, worksheets, and videos to help you handle your healthcare with confidence. Get yours today.

The post Should You Go to the Emergency Room? appeared first on MyHealthSpin.

Many of our readers have questions about how to handle problems when they or their loved one is in the hospital. One of the things I always recommend is to contact the hospital’s patient advocate.

Most hospitals and healthcare facilities have a patient advocate that can often help you deal with the complexity of a hospital stay. Whether you are having trouble getting to talk to the doctor or you need a “team” meeting with all of your doctors to understand how the healthcare team is working together to get you better, a patient advocate can help.

Here are 3 things you should know:

1. Patient advocates have many different names: They can be called Ombudsman, Care Advocates, Health Planners, Coordinators or Navigators.
2. Different advocates specialize in different areas: Some advocates help you get insurance. Some help you figure out your hospital bills. Some advocates will sit with you and doctor to help you talk to the doctor about your care. Some will help you determine the best place for you to go when you leave the hospital. When you talk to a patient advocate, find out what they can do to help you. If they are not the right person, they will help you get to someone who can help with your particular problem.
3. You must be your own patient advocate: You should never assume that the hospital will take care of everything. Hospitals have many patients and many healthcare specialists. If you are not getting the care you think you need, you must speak up. By asking the nurse or the doctor to speak with the hospital’s patient advocate, you will often be taking one of the best steps toward solving your healthcare problems.

Have you ever used a patient advocate? What tips do you have? I’d love to hear from you!

To learn more about your healthcare, please subscribe to MyHealthSpin.com and receive a FREE copy of my ebook Easy Healthcare: Your Hospital Stay. CLICK HERE FOR FREE DOWNLOAD

With MyHealthspin, You Spin Your Healthcare Your Way!

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In this short video, I tell you what that item is and how to use it.

To learn more hospital stays, get a FREE copy of my ebook Easy Healthcare: Your Hospital Stay. CLICK HERE FOR FREE DOWNLOAD

With MyHealthspin, You Spin Your Healthcare Your Way!

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Someone was telling me that she couldn’t wait to leave the hospital to get some rest at home. During her pregnancy she received plenty of advice that she should sleep while she was in the hospital because once she got home with the baby, there would be no rest. She found, however, that sleeping in the hospital was nearly impossible with nurses and doctors coming in to check on her at all hours, machines beeping, and the constant flurry of activity.

You may think that the hospital is a good place to recuperate and get some rest after a procedure, but getting rest in a hospital is difficult. The building runs 24 hours per day, 365 days per year. There is always something going on.

To get the best rest in a hospital for you or your loved one, consider these points:

1. Ask for a private room.
   If you have a roommate, you will be subject to their noise which means their doctors, nurses, visitors, talking, coughing, and so on. Getting a private room ensures that at least you will only be subject to noise related to your care.
2. Ask if you can be assigned to a quiet room or floor.
   This might not be possible as certain illnesses require that you have a room in a specific location. However, sometimes the person assigning you a room can select one that is away from the elevator or the nurses’ station so that it is quieter.
3. Adhere to the visiting hours.
   It might be comforting to have your family and friends visit, but remember you are in the hospital to get rest and recover. You can always have visitors when you go home and are feeling better.
4. Ask what is scheduled for you.
   Remember that hospitals often wake you up in the middle of the night or early in the morning for blood work or tests. Ask your doctor what is scheduled for when so you can sleep in between.
5. If you have a roommate, ask your nurse to monitor how many visitors your roommate is having and their noise level.
   Everyone has the right to get rest in the hospital.

Rest in a hospital may not be easy, but with these tips you may be able to rest a little better.

What problems have you had when you were in the hospital?  I’d love to hear from you!

To learn more about your stay in a hospital, subscribe to MyHealthSpin.com and receive a FREE copy of my ebook Easy Healthcare: Your Hospital Stay. CLICK HERE FOR FREE DOWNLOAD

With MyHealthspin, You Spin Your Healthcare Your Way!

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How do you decide what to bring to the hospital with you? Basically, you will want to bring the things you need for admittance and that will make your stay as smooth as possible.

Remember, though, that hospitals have a lot of people coming and going. In addition, you may switch rooms or leave your room for tests or procedures. Unfortunately, personal items can be lost or stolen.

A general rule is if it’s important to you, leave it at home.

Here are some guidelines.

What to bring to the hospital:

1. A warm sweater or jacket
   Hospital rooms can get cold. You will be in a hospital gown that doesn’t provide much coverage. It’s always a good idea to have something warm to put on if you get cold.
2. Your identification and medical insurance card
   You will need these during the admitting process, but if possible, have your loved one take them when you are finished.
3. Your medical life list or medical history
   Whether you are being admitted to the hospital from your life-long doctor or someone new, the hospital will need a complete record of your health history. (Hint: If you have not gathered your health history, get our FREE eBook Easy Healthcare: What You Need First.)
4. Important documents, like your Advanced Directive or Trust
   Bring the documents that detail your medical wishes in case you cannot decide for yourself. If you don’t have an Advanced Directive, the hospital may help you fill one out.

What NOT to bring to the hospital:

1. Anything valuable
2. Money
3. Laptops or tablets
4. Cell phone (It is handy to have if you need to call family BUT remember it might get lost or stolen.)

As with most situations, use your discretion.

REMEMBER to pack SMART so you have what you need, but don’t lose those items that are important.

What do you take the hospital when you or your loved one goes to the hospital? I’d love to hear from you!

To learn more about your stay in a hospital, download my FREE ebook Easy Healthcare: Your Hospital Stay. 

With MyHealthSpin, You Spin Your Healthcare Your Way!

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